Lately I feel like I’m on a crusade against alcohol as this is already the third article I’m posting in which I’m going against it. Truth is recently several researches have been published in medical journals that have one common denominator: the harmful effects of alcohol consumption.
On this note a study published in the journal BMC Immunology shows that alcohol can worsen the effects of disease, resulting in longer recovery period after trauma, injury or burns. It is also known to impair the anti-viral immune response, especially in the liver, including response against Hepatitis C and HIV.
On this note a study published in the journal BMC Immunology shows that alcohol can worsen the effects of disease, resulting in longer recovery period after trauma, injury or burns. It is also known to impair the anti-viral immune response, especially in the liver, including response against Hepatitis C and HIV.
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School looked at the effect of alcohol on monocytes collected from the blood of healthy volunteers. The group, led by Prof Gyongyi Szabo, focused specifically on two disease related pathways: the first (TLR8) stimulated by single strand RNA viral attack and the second (TLR4) is involved in recognising bacteria.
Their results showed that, as expected, activation of these pathways resulted in an increase in the levels of the anti-viral cytokine IFN, however this was reduced by treatment with alcohol equivalent to four or five drinks a day for seven days. Similarly stimulation of these pathways resulted in an increase in the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα. However, while a single treatment with alcohol decreased the amount of TNFα, prolonged treatment increased levels of inflammation.
Prof Szabo stated "Alcohol has a profound effect of inhibiting IFN production in monocytes regardless of whether the danger signal is intracellular (TLR8) or surface-derived (TLR4). Such a reduction would impair the body's ability to fight off infection...chronic alcohol exposure suggests that prolonged alcohol must change the immune balance of monocyte activation and impair host response to single-stranded virus infection like hepatitis C."
Considerations
When it comes to alcohol what I really care about is that you are aware of its harmful effects. Once you know them you are able to make an informed decision about it, that’s all...
The Iron You
I'll be sure to share this article. Thank you very much.
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